Monday, May 2, 2011

Just Some Good Ol', um, Boys

In writing about Asheville, North Carolina for a project, I was reminded of something that doesn't really fit the piece. I was in and around the mountain town meeting moonshiners, sifting through historical records, and meeting the supplier who sold Popcorn Sutton gallon jugs of artificial flavorings for his "authentic" peach and apple moonshines. Taking a night off, I poked around town exploring and walked into a bar packed with women.

Now, if you've never been there, you should know that, in addition to its many charms, Asheville is home to a lot of girls who like girls. Many, in fact, consider this one of its charms. I hesitated just inside the door of the bar when I realized I was one of the only men in the place, second-guessing my decision to drop in, but at that very moment, two flannel-clad college girls broke into a karaoke cover of Waylon Jennings' "Good Ol' Boys" (The Dukes of Hazzard theme song). I bellied up to the bar, ordered my first beer, and proceeded to have a fantastic night with charming, friendly locals.

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Rowley Who?

I'm a contributor to Whisky Advocate, contributing editor for Distiller magazine, a former board member of the Southern Foodways Alliance, and an erstwhile museum curator. After a life of living in bitterly cold and unspeakably hot places, I'm lucky enough to be working my tail off in southern California. Can't beat that with a stick.

Email me: moonshinearchives (at) gmail (dot) com

My day job is freelance writing for business, government, and academic clients. When I’m not helping others get their stories out, I’m eating and drinking, planning to eat and drink, or, relying on my training as an anthropologist and museum curator to reflect on what I’ve eaten and drunk. I travel whenever I can, visiting distillers, artisan food producers, secondhand bookstores, and farmers’ markets. Sometimes I manage to write about it here.